+1 or stock length irons at 6'4"?

[lefthack]

So my OG irons were +1" and my new irons are stock length. I seem to hit my new irons very well, but they are much nicer irons. It makes me wonder if they were 1" over, would I hit them better?

 

The only reason I thought about it is a set of heads came up for sale so it would be easy enough to  do. If it's worth doing at all, that is. 

 

When I was fitted for my OG's it was 1"+ and +1* lie. I don't feel like I'm hunched over at all. It seems like my height is a weird cutoff. 

 

So worth the cost/effort, or just game the hell out of my OE sticks and be happy?

[HalfSet]

I am the same height and prefer to play +1/2.

 

There is no perfect answer because not all tall people are built the same. Some have long legs and short torsos while others are the opposite. Arm length (wrist to floor) is another measurement to check.

 

At the end of the day what's most important is that you are comfortable and can find the center of the clubface.

 

 

[lefthack]

It was a while ago but I recall the wrist to floor was the one that stood out. I had honestly forgot until I was putting a shaft in the 3 I just got and noticed my old 3 was an inch longer.

 

I actually feel comfortable with my stock length. Also as much as I would love a second set, I would rather find a set of VR Combos instead. 🤣

[EDT501]

If you feel comfortable with them and you’re hitting them well, why change? As a fellow 6’4” person, I just can’t get into a comfortable stance with clubs shorter than 36”, so I play my clubs over length.

[Hack Daddy]

6'3" and I play +2"

[OsnolaKinnard]

6’4” and play a 37.5” single length Edel irons.  The extra length on the short irons really helps me feel more comfortable,

[tmax77]

6’3 and play shorter than standard 36.75” on 7-iron have long arms and legs...

[rjp217]

7 hours ago, southpawfox said:

I am the same height and prefer to play +1/2.

 

There is no perfect answer because not all tall people are built the same. Some have long legs and short torsos while others are the opposite. Arm length (wrist to floor) is another measurement to check.

 

At the end of the day what's most important is that you are comfortable and can find the center of the clubface.

 

 

This is me as well. 6’4 at +1/2. FWIW I’m 2up on lie as well.

[uglande]

I'm 6'5" and have been working on different setups for years. Here is where I'm at: +3/4 in the wedges, +1/2 in the irons, standard length in the utility irons and woods.

 

Anything more than an inch is not only overkill but will send your swing weights skyrocketing. And here's the thing: tall golfers only really need extra length in the wedges/bottom of the bag. I bet when you pick up your stock 4 iron it feels natural but when you pick up your PW it feels a little short.

 

Tall golfers don't need much extra length in most of the irons, and certainly not at the top end of the bag. It's just adding weight and increasing the likelihood of off-center strikes.

 

Hack Daddy says he plays irons +2. That is crazy to me. That means his 7 iron is the length of a standard 3 iron and is 12 swing weights higher than standard (before any weight adjustments like heavier grip, etc.).

 

My advice is go with what you've got, if it works. And if you add any length, try just the wedges first. Those are clubs where the added weight won't be a problem and it's the only spot in the bag where you might really need the extra length.

[DNice26]

Responses from +2" to -1/4"......  

 

 

The moral is to get a fitting....

[lefthack]

Thanks for all the feedback folks!

 

I think I will just rock what I have. As a lefty, I've only played the clubs I own and so far this is my 3rd set in 30 years. My first set was a Spalding starter set from Sears that I played for almost a decade (odd clubs only). My "custom" irons were a world's difference, then again last summer when I upgraded to these.

 

The single length setups are interesting, but not sure I would like it.

 

 

[lefthack]

4 minutes ago, DNice26 said:

Responses from +2" to -1/4"......  

 

 

The moral is to get a fitting....

 

I'm sure it's just me, but the "get fitted" response isn't 100%. I can't even count the number of threads I have read on here about poor fittings and folks spending over a grand to be disappointed. Or have one guy say one thing and another say another. I know my game better than anyone.

 

I paid $125 for my 5-PW set. My 3i was $65 and I'm still in the hunt for a 4i. I will either make this set work, or I will try something else. The last thing I want to do is put on slacks and go to a country club to hit clubs I don't want to buy. 

[uglande]

Just now, lefthack said:

 

I'm sure it's just me, but the "get fitted" response isn't 100%. I can't even count the number of threads I have read on here about poor fittings and folks spending over a grand to be disappointed. Or have one guy say one thing and another say another. I know my game better than anyone.

 

I paid $125 for my 5-PW set. My 3i was $65 and I'm still in the hunt for a 4i. I will either make this set work, or I will try something else. The last thing I want to do is put on slacks and go to a country club to hit clubs I don't want to buy. 

Exactly, and most ordinary fitters will default to what I consider outdated ideas about length and will say you need +1.5 (or something) throughout the bag. If you can find a fitter who really knows how to deal with tall golfers, great, but they are hard to find.

[JFM628]

3 minutes ago, lefthack said:

 

I'm sure it's just me, but the "get fitted" response isn't 100%. I can't even count the number of threads I have read on here about poor fittings and folks spending over a grand to be disappointed. Or have one guy say one thing and another say another. I know my game better than anyone.

 

I paid $125 for my 5-PW set. My 3i was $65 and I'm still in the hunt for a 4i. I will either make this set work, or I will try something else. The last thing I want to do is put on slacks and go to a country club to hit clubs I don't want to buy. 

Getting fitted is an inexact science.  However, shaft length is one thing that can be very reliably determined with a decent fitter.  Most of the disappointment comes from a poorly fitted driver shaft or iron shaft flex that is too stiff.

 

Not sure how much you play, but having the though in your head that your irons may be the wrong length will not good.  I am not one of those guys that writes the two word "get fitted" response.  It is certainly not a panacea - but in your case its worth even a simple fitting.  Lastly, I would be pissed if I paid $1,000 and got a poor fitting but for something like this, its very cheap and can be done in a lot of different ways.

[lefthack]

I wouldn't know where to start to even look for one. There are 2 major county clubs that both offer fittings (I was going to check out PXG once until I failed the dress code). Other than that it's big box stores, Golf Galaxy or Dicks. I'll take my own chances, thanks.

 

If I pull up in my Vette, everyone gets excited until I get out in shorts and an offensive tshirts. 🤣

[Stuart_G]

6 minutes ago, JFM628 said:

Getting fitted is an inexact science.  However, shaft length is one thing that can be very reliably determined with a decent fitter. 

 

Yes, it is one thing that could easily be determined but it's one thing that rarely is fit properly.

 

Most fitters will get the height and wrist to floor, have you hit a few mid-irons and that's about it.   But testing playing length with the mid-irons is one of the must useless or pointless ways to go about it.    For length in an iron set, the problems will only show up at the extreme ends of the set.   Shortest clubs and wedges being too short and/or the longest irons in the set being too long.

 

Edited January 21, 2021 by Stuart_G

[JFM628]

3 minutes ago, Stuart_G said:

 

Yes, it is one thing that could easily be determined but it's one thing that rarely is fit properly.

 

Most fitters will get the height and wrist to floor, have you hit a few mid-irons and that's about it.   But testing playing length with the mid-irons is one of the must useless or pointless ways to go about it.    For length in an iron set, the problems will only show up at the extreme ends of the set.   Shortest clubs and wedges being too short and/or the longest irons in the set being too long.

 

Agree.  But I would assume that you would agree that a good fitter would account for this.

[lefthack]

When I got my newer clubs I totally forgot my old irons were longer. I took these straight out and started chasing balls. The length didn't occur to me until I was figuring my shaft length for my new 3i.

 

Part of me wants to put half my old clubs back in the bag and go toe to toe and see what's what. But I know my Zing 2's don't really compare to my Vapor Pro Combos, even if the Zings are more upright.

[Myherobobhope]

I’m 6’4” and have played standard, all the way up to 1 inch over... I’ve had people look at my wrist to floor and hand me one each longer clubs and tell me not to worry about it... I’ve also been professionally fit by a good fitter into +1/2.

 

I’m currently playing +3/4 irons I love and regular length wedges that I mostly don’t swing full with... 

 

as another poster had said, the only thing that matters is if you are comfortable with the irons... I also tend to agree that the shorter clubs are where you can run into trouble, as they can get too short... I don’t love my current wedges, but they aren’t used for full swings, so whatever.

 

i will say, it’s worth putting on a collared shirt to get a good fitting... but finding a good fitter is it’s own challenge.

 

you need to find someone who is fully invested in your swing and wants to figure out what makes you successful on the course... they can then get you the right tools... it’s not an easy person to find! 
 

the really good fitters understand swing mechanics and the technical side of clubs... 

 

that said, if what you are hitting works, then it works! 

[lefthack]

3 minutes ago, JFM628 said:

Agree.  But I would assume that you would agree that a good fitter would account for this.

 

I don't know, I've never had an actual fitting. My old irons were custom to my height measurements, nothing more. 

 

So I have ZERO fitting experience, only hear stories of being pushed into a set they hate.

 

Again, I have no idea where to find "a good fitter". And what is a "good fitter"? Someone with a 4+ on Google?

[Stuart_G]

12 minutes ago, JFM628 said:

Agree.  But I would assume that you would agree that a good fitter would account for this.

 

No, sorry but I wouldn't agree to that.   A great fitter (0.01%'er) might be able to see and identify characteristics in the mechanics of the players swing that might prove problematic at the ends of the set.  But irrespective of how good the fitter is, actual problems and more importantly the best solutions can only be properly identified by hitting the shorter/longer clubs in the set, not the mid-iron.  

 

 

Edited January 21, 2021 by Stuart_G

[BallerNate]

I’m 6’7 and play +1”, but I have long arms. Wrist to floor seems like the most important measurement for sure, and it’s all about what you’re comfortable with.

[GLF4EVR]

Currently I have no idea, but Ping's website years back had a fitting guide in it.  One of the steps was for determining club length.  Part of the equation was your height & the length from the floor to your wrist.  In my small little club working world, this was always a good place to start from as a base.

[lefthack]

I plan on playing 100+ rounds this year and will likely play close to that from now on. That being said, I am also a cheap bastxxx with way too many hobbies, so spending more than $500 for a set of clubs just seems crazy to me.

 

It seems I am a minority in that respect because there are folks on here that spend that on a new driver every year. 

 

But I play close to scratch with my hodge podge set of used clubs. 

[MagnoliaGolfer]

I'm 6'8" and play 1.5 inches longer and 1.5 degrees upright.  All depends on your build.

 

I will say, though, that it's been my experience (talking for myself and watching other tall guys) that if our clubs are too short, the miss tends to be a thin push.  That's because, when the club is too short, we tend to stand up mid swing, causing the thin shot and, if you open yourself up when you stand up, the push. 

 

My old irons were 1" long.  The new ones are 1.5" long, and I was very surprised, with the longer clubs, to see that thin shots and pushes have all but disappeared. 

[Lobber]

6'4" here and have experimented with everything from standard to +1 inch.  Settled on +1/2 and having good results.  I have a long torso with 38 inch sleeve length and average inseam of 32 inches.  Get fit and experiment.  Play what works for YOU

[uglande]

54 minutes ago, JFM628 said:

Agree.  But I would assume that you would agree that a good fitter would account for this.

"Good fitter" yes. But 95 percent of fitters will recommend the same additional length through the set (in the irons and wedges anyway).

Edited January 21, 2021 by uglande

[Hack Daddy]

1 hour ago, uglande said:

I'm 6'5" and have been working on different setups for years. Here is where I'm at: +3/4 in the wedges, +1/2 in the irons, standard length in the utility irons and woods.

 

Anything more than an inch is not only overkill but will send your swing weights skyrocketing. And here's the thing: tall golfers only really need extra length in the wedges/bottom of the bag. I bet when you pick up your stock 4 iron it feels natural but when you pick up your PW it feels a little short.

 

Tall golfers don't need much extra length in most of the irons, and certainly not at the top end of the bag. It's just adding weight and increasing the likelihood of off-center strikes.

 

Hack Daddy says he plays irons +2. That is crazy to me. That means his 7 iron is the length of a standard 3 iron and is 12 swing weights higher than standard (before any weight adjustments like heavier grip, etc.).

 

My advice is go with what you've got, if it works. And if you add any length, try just the wedges first. Those are clubs where the added weight won't be a problem and it's the only spot in the bag where you might really need the extra length.

 

Not only +2" but I have 14g brass ferrules and JumboMax tour XL grips, on 130g X flex shafts...

[lefthack]

1 minute ago, Hack Daddy said:

 

Not only +2" but I have 14g brass ferrules and JumboMax tour XL grips, on 130g X flex shafts...

 

And I thought I was crazy moving up to a combo iron set, damn. That seems like a lot of thought and effort went into that set.

 

I bought a cheap shaft and ferrules of eBay and called it good. The flex is rated the same as my others. I would have gotten the same shaft if I had shopped a little more.

[lefthack]

Also my wedge game is different. Having started with a 9i and SW, I got used to using my SW for anything inside of about 30'. Now I use my 56 and it isn't a full swing club. I use my PW for anything from 110 yards to 30 feet.

 

When I first refreshed my bag, I got an AW, the 56 and a 60 because I thought I might be missing something. I took the AW and 60 out since I didn't use them after a few weeks.

 

That being said, I don't seem to have any issues with my 56 or PW at stock length, so I won't sweat it.